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Sunday, May 5, 2013

A Ravener (rah-ven-ur) is the result of a corruption of the blood that alters the physical and mental substance of a human until they are barely recognizable.

A Ravener is typically a person who has done something they regret, but that they don’t want to feel guilty for - they hunger for validation, or they are starved for other people’s approval. When they are affected, the person will begin to feel sick when they eat regular food and drink, and their stomach will gorge, and they will no longer digest the food but simply regurgitate it. They develop a taste for flesh, first raw red meats, but they hunger most for the flesh of humans and corpses.

Their skin starts to flake, stripping off to raw skin that eventually becomes rubbery, like lizard skin, with rough scales on the elbows. The Ravener’s teeth fall out, and their bones become brittle and thin. Along their throat, muscles develop that flex when the Ravener eats, pulling the food down whole. Their stomach distends and they regurgitate large masses of hair and bone mixed with bits of skin and bile after eating.

Eventually, the Ravener develops small spines on the palms of their hands that help them cling to their food and to other slick surfaces. These spines also cover their tongue, which grows three times in length. Their fingers and toes lengthen, although some may break off from the thinning bone. Their eyes will burst open, revealing many dark tendrils that reach out and act as additional sensory organs, sensing the heat of the living and near dead. Raveners, due to their unsavory appearance, often retreat to live in sewers, cemeteries, or near large bodies of water, becoming somewhat amphibious over time.

Gremlings are harmful helpers. They came into existence along with the innovation of computer and electric technologies, and their primary purpose is to damage and break anything that runs on electric power. They typically work in the dream world, reaching through the boundaries to press buttons, scratch screens, and gnaw on cords.

Some people manage to become infected with Gremlings. Something they have done frustrates the creatures, or perhaps they just have bad luck, but the Gremlings latch on and invade their space. Tens of little Gremlings will bash, smash, and break the pieces inside computers or telephones, blocking out communication outlets. They will stick around until they get distracted, or until there’s nothing left to break.

Note: If you decide to use any of the monsters in a campaign, please let me know! I'd like to see how they work out.

Today's art is by Khairul Hisham. Thanks for contributing to the Monsters collection!

The Shadow Man is a special breed of Bogeyman. As the name suggests, he lurks in the shadows, an undefined shape creeping along behind each step, hiding in every corner. The Shadow Man does no physical harm and cannot be captured by normal means.

His victims suffer no physical harm and no trauma, but are constantly plagued with self-doubt. They will become more uneasy the longer he walks behind them. Many victims of the Shadow Man will become anxious, ill at the thought of being seen, and lock themselves in their homes. By doing so, they cause themselves greater suffering, because he can surround them and overcome the light.

The Shadow Man can spread himself thin to haunt any number of people, but the more he tries to haunt, the weaker he becomes. It is always best to find him in a crowd. He fears light, and enough light will disrupt him. Even if he is disrupted, he always comes back to instill again the anxious doubt he inflicts.